Christmas jumpers have long been a staple in my December wardrobe, and Christmas jumper day in work is always my favourite to see who can wear the wackiest or most festive! Each year I always end up buying a new one, which this year was..
New Look, £15.99
Here are my favourites from this year!
Anyone that knows me will know how much I love a new candle, so I get especially excited when the time comes to stock up on some Christmas ones to have my flat smelling as festive as possible.
My favourites this year are…
Yankee – Iced Gingerbread – nothing says Christmas than a house that smells like gingerbread!
Glade – Apple, Cinnamon and Nutmeg – such an autumnal smell and usually only £1 each, they also fill the room pretty quick too!
Tesco – White Pine and Holly – these come in a candle too but I have a wax melter which is a nice candle alternative. These smell like real Christmas trees so you can close your eyes and imagine your artificial one is real!
Yankee – Sunlight on Snow – now I’m not quite sure how anyone knows what sunlight on snow smells like but this candle is so fresh and not overpowering at all so you can have it on for even longer without it being sickly sweet like most yankees.
And my least favourite festive candle is…
Yankee – Candy Lane – I hate the smell of mint at the best of times but this is just so sickly and overpowering it made me gag just from smelling it from a distance!
Every year I aim to visit Christmas Markets in a new city. This year I’ve been a bit boring and stuck to my new home town’s – Swansea. It was safe to say that they left a lot to be desired in every way shape or form, they were basically just your average market stalls but in red and green outdoor huts. No festive crafts, Himalayan salt lamps or personalised decorations in sight!
Here are my favourite Christmas Markets that I’ve been to over the past few years:
Dresden, Germany
Chester, England
Manchester, England
Edinburgh, Scotland
Glasgow, Scotland
Berlin, Germany
This year I haven’t really been one to write a list to Santa as I’m conscious that in about 10 months time I’ll be moving to Texas so the less I have to pack up the better really! A few things I would really like to find underneath my tree are…
I’ve been undecided as to whether or not to get this since it came out but I just think the colours are perfect for the festive season
I’ll be spending 5 days in the Dutch capital over New Year so any spending money would really help make my time there extra special!
I’ve been after this dress for ages now and wanted it for my work’s Christmas party but after spending all my money on everyone else I guess it will have to wait for NYE instead.
Every year I’ve asked for one of these and yet to have one myself. This years looks amazing, not only does it come in rose gold but the sides are rainbow! Plus it will remind me of home when I move..
My all time favourite Christmas scent! This year Lush have a whole Snow Fairy range which I’m dying to try out!
And if all of the above just happen to be sold out…
A girl can dream, right?!
Anything in the name of procrastination, right?!
So I was meant to do this last year but was crazy busy in the run up to Christmas with my masters exams and working at the second busiest music arena in the world.. yet this year I’m counting down the days until I have have a break from my PhD, eat as much food as possible and catch up with family and friends before jetting off to Amsterdam for NYE.
I put my tree up on 21st November (screw all you scrooges) and have been waiting as long as possible to start playing Christmas music at any opportunity – well that started today, as I’m writing this post.
For my first post I thought I’d write about my take on Christmas.
1) What is your favourite Christmas film?
Elf is my all time favourite as it reminds me of New York (and re-enacting some of the scenes!) but I do love The Holiday and Love Actually.
2) Have you ever had a white Christmas?
I don’t think I’ve had snow on Christmas day before but we have in the run up! I was in NYC on NYE once and it was snowing there to make it even more magical!
3) What is your favourite Christmas song?
Step into Christmas by Elton John – not everyone knows it straight away either which is why I love it.
4) Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
Only from the Pyjama Fairy!
5) Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
I worked as an elf one Christmas so I think I’d have been fired if I couldn’t..
There’s Dasher and Dancer and Comet and Blitzen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Vixen.. and Rudolph of course!
6) What holiday tradition are you looking forward to most this year?
Every year my and my Dad always have a buffet of party food and make our own mulled wine so the house smells amazing, then we sit and watch The Holiday.
7) Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
I’ve got a delightfully fake and tacky silver tree in my flat with pink and black baubles on it then at home we have a real one.
8) What is your all time favourite holiday food/sweet treat?
Starbucks Eggnog latte (I always have my first one at the Christmas lights switch on) and chocolate oranges.
9) Do you like receiving gifts or giving gifts better?
Since I’ve got older I prefer giving gifts, especially now I’m earning enough to buy proper ones!
10) What is the best Christmas gift you have ever received?
2 years ago I got a pair of Ariat riding boots which I had never thought I’d own – doesn’t sound like much but I’d been dreaming of them since I started riding!
11) What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?
NYC at Christmas time will always be my favourite place. I’ve got family in New Zealand too so I’d love to spend one Christmas on the beach.
12) Are you a pro- present wrapper, or do you fail miserable?
In between – I usually hide my mess with ribbons and bows!
13) Most memorable holiday moment?
My Dad coming in from his work night out drunk and standing on the shed roof to hit snow off the top of the Sky dish with a draught excluder so he could watch The Ashes at 2am!
14) Do you make New Years resolutions? Do you stick to them?
Every year.. and I fail every year too!
15) What makes the holidays special for you?
Spending time at home and catching up with friends and eating and drinking “because it’s Christmas”.
So after around 7 months of what felt like constant rejections I finally managed to secure my second PhD interview, this time at Swansea University, having previously missed out after interviewing at Cardiff. Despite being desperate to stay in Scotland and applying to universities all over the UK, South Wales seemed to see something in me that other placed didn’t! I almost didn’t even apply for the position as it came with a rather tempting / terrifying commitment – 2 years of the PhD would be spent in Houston, Texas. Nevertheless I interviewed, waited an incredibly nerve-wracking five days and found out that I was successful – in McDonalds of all places. Then came the daunting moment of signing the next 3.5 years of my life away, coming to terms with the fact I’ll be living in America for 2 years, and relocating again to a brand new city.
I am now one month into starting my studentship, and here are a few things I wish I would have known beforehand:
So despite not having a clue what I’m meant to be doing on a daily basis any more, I’ve been told to make the most of these first few find-your-feet months, as I’m sure the next 3.5 years will fly by and I’ll soon be presenting at my viva with some dodgy Texan accent.
If anyone has any questions about the application process or tips on surviving PhD life, please leave them in the comments!
love,
The future Dr Jones (cue Aqua playing on repeat) x
My gap year was completely unexpected and didn’t include the usual finding yourself in India, getting a tattoo after a full moon party in Thailand or skydiving over Bondi Beach. After finishing my A-Levels, I was meant to be heading of to uni to study veterinary medicine – which didn’t quite go to plan. During my first year of sixth form, I conveniently decided to break my leg and missed all of my first exams, which lead to 2 years of playing catch up and ultimately not getting the grades I needed for my dream career. At the time I thought it was the end of the world – turns out it wasn’t (shocking, I know). So instead of jumping into a course for the sake of it (my backup was French at Leeds – slightly different I know), I decided to work full time and travel as much as possible.
I started off travelling solo and spent the first two weeks with my best friend in Nova Scotia, Canada, before heading to New Zealand to spend a month with family in Wellington and Auckland. I then came home, worked like crazy and went on my first, proper holiday with my then boyfriend to…
Hardly a Caribbean cruise but I’d never been before, we stayed in Playa de la Arena and Siam Park was definitely the highlight of the trip.
Our next holiday was slightly more worthwhile…
The east coast of Mexico around Cancun has the perfect mix of Caribbean and American influence for a luxury holiday. We went during American Spring Break which added to the party atmosphere in Cancun at night. During the two weeks spent in the holiday resort of Riviera Maya we went on the Captain Hook pirate ship which included dinner and a show, visited the Mayan temple Chichen Itza, drove a speed boat around lagoons, went parasailing and swam with dolphins!
I’d been to Rome as a teenager for a day when on holiday in Catollica, so to see more of the city and spend longer at different attractions was amazing. We went in the Colosseum, saw the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and visited Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and the Roman Forum, along with eating enough gelato to fill the Vatican (which you can get a great view of from the top of Castel Sant’Angelo)
Again, not the most exciting of trips but we spent a week around the capital seeing the usual tourist attractions, and then visited Thorpe Park, LegoLand, Chessington World of Adventures and the Harry Potter Studios which were obviously the highlight of my trip!
I love to travel just as much as the next person these days so thought I would put together a list of my favourite places that I’ve been lucky enough to visit. Some of them seem pretty obvious but others are a little off the beaten track.
New York will forever be my favourite place in the world. I’ve been lucky enough to visit six times now and the city holds so many amazing memories for me. I first went just before Christmas in 2004 with my Mum and Dad, and have since spent New Year’s Eve in Times Square and the 4th of July upstate in Hancock when I was at camp. The best time to visit in my opinion is between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when the weather is perfectly cold and everyone is excited and feeling festive. In the summer Central Park is the perfect place to chill, however for me the city just lacked the magic of all the Christmas window displays. Walking the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan gives the best views at night, whilst during the day the free Staten Island ferry gives the best shots of Lady Liberty.
For my 18th birthday I was given flight tickets to Wellington to see family, some of whom I’d never met before as living 12,000 miles apart has a fair few disadvantages! As I’d just finished my A-Levels, I was heading out in the middle of their winter (July) as I was meant to be starting university when I returned. Had I have known things wouldn’t have turned out as planned (see my gap year post), I would have liked to have gone in summer (January) but you can’t have everything! I spent the majority of my month long trip in Wellington where my family are based, but managed to fit in a week in Auckland, which quickly became my favourite city (outside of New York). From the beautiful peaceful harbour to the heights of Sky Tower, Auckland has everything.. including the best Mexican I’ve been to outside of Mexico!
When I was 16 my best friend moved to Halifax, on the east coast of Canada in the provence of Nova Scotia. For two summers running (2011 and 2012) I went over to visit her and immediately fell in love with the country (and poutine). My favourite place there is Peggy’s Cove, on St Margaret’s Bay which is famous for Peggy’s Point Lighthouse and has the most stunning view at sunset!
Thailand is probably the most obvious destination on anyone’s travel list these days. I went in 2014, just before its popularity really took off. We flew into Phuket and stayed in the beach resort of Khao Lak, which was hit hardest during the 2004 Tsunami, and has a museum dedicated to the disaster which displayed a washed up boat almost 2 miles inland that had not been moved since that day. From Khao Lak we visited James Bond Island, went scuba diving around the Similan Islands and visited an elephant sanctuary in the Khao Sok jungle. Thailand is without a doubt the most beautiful country I’ve ever seen, from the friendliness of the locals to the incredible food its a place I can’t wait to revisit.
I’d wanted to visit Barcelona ever since spending countless nights trying to recreate Gaudi’s masterpieces during GCSE art. We spent 3 nights in a hostel near Paral-El (they sold pitchers of Sangria for €2) and managed to cram in visits to the Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, tapas down La Rambla, Camp Nou, Font Magica and Palau Guell. I’d definitely recommend heading to the top of Les Arenes shopping centre for an amazing view of the fountains with the National Museum in the background – and it’s free!
Living in the West End of Glasgow, there’s always one place everyone has heard of; Tantrum Doughnuts. Set away from the main streets on Old Dumbarton Road, this cosy little cafe is home to probably the best doughnuts I’ve ever eaten. They recently moved premises from number 35 to 27 to increase their production, but the small set up has not changed at all. All their doughnuts are fresh and “made by people, not machines” as their tagline suggests, and the cafe is dog-friendly so what’s not to love?
In my opinion they are best in the morning when they are extra fresh, as their unique flavours are only available until their daily stock has ran out – so get there fast! Every now and again they bring back old favourites or add limited edition new flavours, and this week was the return of the Blueberry Cheesecake, meaning I had to dash down and grab one before they went away again on Thursday! At Christmas they brought out some festive flavours, including my favourite – Mulled Wine and Spices. My favourites (in order) are:
Following on from my last post about going vegetarian, my first test was trying out Paesano Pizza in Merchant City, Glasgow. Having heard great things about their authentic, wood fire pizzas from Naples, I couldn’t wait to head down with the girls from work!
The restaurant is on Miller Street, just around the corner from Glasgow Museum of Modern Art / St Enoch’s Centre and looks small from the outside but is surprisingly big once you’re inside.
The menu is simple, with 8 pizzas to choose from and a variety of side nibbles. I went for the Number 8 – mushroom, spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, oregano and evoo (no tomato) and was not disappointed! The food came really fast and the pizzas were huge – at just £8 and one of the more expensive options it was a great value for money!
As it was for a 21st we shared a bottle of prosecco from Friuli, and although it did just come in glass beakers it was one of the nicest prosecco’s I’ve had in a restaurant.
I would definitely recommend a visit – they’re rated best pizza restaurant in the UK for a reason!
Leia's Life 